Saturday, October 31, 2009

What a fun Halloween! We had a full day. After we attended Sylvia's piano recital, we went to Trunk or Treat at the church, visited grand (and great grand) parents, and then did some neighborhood trick or treating. To finish off the evening, we snuggled on the couch and watched Edward Scissorhands. Now it's time to relax and enjoy the candy!

Sylvia performed at her first piano recital today. She totally nailed it! We are so proud of how Sylvia is progressing at piano. She has only been playing for two months, and she is making huge strides. Our teacher (cousin Amy) is amazing with her, and gives us really good tips to help Sylvia play at her very best. Sylvia really likes when she gets applause. Even at home, when she finishes practicing, she'll turn to me and say, "Mom, aren't you going to clap for me? Did you forget?" She is so awesome! Since her recital was on Halloween, Amy had all of her students wear their costumes. It was really fun!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

I'm missing how fun and kind of ridiculous Polaroid photos were back in the day. And then I was reading a favorite blog (what up, cjane?) and saw this. It's a great website called Rollip.com, and you can upload any picture and the site will turn your photo into a digital looking Polaroid! I love it. Beware though, it will crop your images quite a bit, so pick a picture where your subject is centered. Anyway, totally fun. I want everyone to try it!

Today was the Halloween Parade at Sage Creek Elementary School. Sylvia and I drove over to watch the parade, because Ben's preschool class got to participate. Ben was so cute in his little pirate costume! (His hat is on backwards, but whatever. Still adorable!) Ben loves his preschool class so much. He waits at the window for the bus to come, and runs as fast as he can to get on as soon as the bus arrives. Ben's class had a Halloween celebration today, and he had way too much fun!

Friday, October 23, 2009

I really enjoy Fall, and like a lot of people it is my favorite season. It just smells so delicious! I have bought our pumpkins, made a couple loaves of pumpkin bread, and raked up lots of multicolored foliage for the kidlets to jump in. I can't wait until Halloween, and Thanksgiving, and all the other Autumn activites that I get to share with my kids. I love Fall!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Since I put the kids to bed a few hours before I turn in, I usually check on them before heading off to sleep. I thought they were still up and playing in their room, because the light was on, but no. They were sleeping together on Sylvia's bunk, side by side. They make us laugh so hard! These two little buddies can't even be apart long enough to sleep through the night.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

When Sylvia asks, "Mom, can we make cookies?" I almost always say yes. Today is rainy and wonderfully gray, so it is the perfect day for cookie baking. And we saved a few for Ben to destroy when he gets home from preschool. Delicious pumpkin cookies!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

I am attempting to flex my culinary muscles. I actually went to the library without the children the other day and checked out some cook books to give me some much needed inspiration. This has been an area of my life that has been lacking in both creativity and purpose. But I want to do better, and I guess that the will to improve is the first step to actual improvement, right? Right. So, off I go in search of interesting recipes that will actually draw my family to the kitchen table to eat with me. And even more importantly, off I go in search of techniques that will really help me earn my cooking chops.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

The other day, Ben escaped into the back yard and I ran out to catch him before he destroyed the neighbor's garden. We were making our way back to the house when we heard the faint tinkling of a bell. We went to investigate, and we found two little kittens under the bushes beneath the kids' bedroom window. One (in the pics) was orange with a fluffy white belly, and the other was dark gray with little brown patches. They were so cute! When Nate saw them, the first thing he did was get them a bowl of water and a few cans of tuna (why did I not think of that? I've never had pets, I'm seriously pet retarded.) I was worried, because I can barely take care of my little family without losing my mind, let alone two kittens. I knew the kids would want to keep them, and Nate was all for it, too! Luckily for me, before the day was out the owner of the kittens came looking for them. And I don't have to worry about buying cat food any time soon.

Ben has left the terrible two's behind, and officially embraced the even more terrible three's!!!! (There aren't any other synonyms of bad that I could find that started with the letter T, so we'll stick with terrible.) We invited the kids over for a wild rumpus in the back yard, and we had a really good time! Ben received lots of great gifts, and we want to say thanks to all the friends and family that were so generous. Ben is such a big boy now, and he's so sweet. He really has a tender heart, even though he's a bruiser! We're excited to see what this next year brings for him.

Ben started his special Preschool on his birthday, which was this last Wednesday. He loves getting picked up by the bus each day. He runs as fast as he can to the bus aide, and usually doesn't even wave goodbye! He goes for two and a half hours each day, and he comes home completely exhausted. He has so much fun! I don't know if it is coincidence or not, but I swear his speech has improved immensely in just this short time at preschool. On Saturday, he sang entire verses of "The Wheels on the Bus." That is incredible for him! I love seeing him grow and learn so much.